Chronicle Editor
Andile Tshuma
GIRLS are among the most vulnerable groups in Africa exposed to the negative impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. Lockdowns don’t make it easier.
The news of a 16-year-old girl who was gang-raped as she was fetching firewood in Madlambudzi, Plumtree by unidentified men, still on the run is heart-breaking. She will be scarred for life.
It shows that while many are trying to find ways to stay safe from the deadly Covid-19, monsters in society are devising ways of harming children and doing horrific acts.
The risk of sexual harassment and abuse of girls is exacerbated by lockdowns, when girls are confined with abusers.
Research indicates a spike in the number of people searching for help dealing with domestic violence and sexual assault. Zimbabwe is not spared.
Covid-19 has overturned the lives of many children and their families alike, with mitigatory efforts such as school closures, and lockdowns, which are to an extent necessary, children’s routines and support systems have been adversely affected.
Pandemic control measures that do not account for the gender specific needs and vulnerabilities of young women and girls may increase their risk of sexual exploitation, including child marriage and rape.
Reporting cases of sexual violence should be made as easy and safe as possible. Abusers often monitor or restrict access of victims to the outside world, and lockdowns conveniently make the job easier for abusers.
Policymakers must devise ways of receiving reports of violence during the pandemic such as dedicated hotlines, mobile apps and a coded message system.
Prevention is better than cure, so Government must scale up public awareness campaigns particularly those targeted at men to discourage violence against women and girls, giving warning of the punitive consequences.
The deepening poverty owing to loss of livelihoods brought about by Covid-19 and juxtaposed with perennial droughts in Zimbabwe, are putting more girls at risk of sexual assault in exchange of material things such as food. Sometimes families are complacent in the abuse.
Besides outright rape, some girls find themselves in murky waters as their families coerce them into forced marriages that are economically motivated, in glaring contrast to the fact that the country outlawed child marriages in a landmark ruling in 2016.
As a survival mechanism to navigate the difficulties presented by the raging pandemic, some families are throwing caution to the wind and offering their daughters for a song.
The lockdown is freezing the source of livelihoods for many rural households. In most homes, there is literally nothing to eat. Lobola, or dowry becomes a temptation, as it is an extra incentive that comes after reducing the mouths that a family has to feed at the dinner table.
More families continue to give up their daughters, no matter how bright their futures may be.
The above scenario vividly shows that the pandemic is threatening to undo decades of progress in child rights and gender equality, plunging millions of girls into increased risk of violence, abuse and exploitation.
With the continent already battling food insecurity, climate change, conflicts, and economic downturn, the virus is amplifying existing inequalities of gender and class and presents a gloomy picture for the growth of the ordinary African child.
In Zimbabwe, girls experiencing violence may have trouble accessing relevant protection services and for girls who will have to walk longer distances to access these places, especially in rural areas, chances of getting help are slim, when one factors in the six to six curfew.
Schools, which were often places of refuge and provided sanctuaries to young girls and ensured that their dreams of brighter days were validated are closed.
When they are open, there is a lot of support from teachers and schoolmates within the school community and the workload of school is a good distraction.
With travel still limited, support organisations are finding it difficult to penetrate some communities and bring the vices such as child rape and forced marriages to an end.
Across the globe, millions of girls are witnessing the erosion of their sexual and reproductive health and rights under lockdown.
With idleness comes uncalled for unconventional ways, sexual behaviour culminating in unintended early pregnancies, sexual abuse, even from peers and restricted access to vital sexual reproductive health information, which in Zimbabwe is often available at schools.
Worldwide, complications related to pregnancy are the number one killer of girls aged 15 to 19 and PLAN International projects that six months will yield an estimated seven million unintended pregnancies, especially in developing countries.
The pandemic is not painting a good picture for the future of girls, and policy makers must act decisively to protect the girl child. — @andile_tshuma
Online Reporter